Fear of Losing Control and Anxiety

One of the most frightening aspects of anxiety for many people is the fear that they may somehow ‘lose control’.

It may be a sense of being out of control when anxious thoughts and feelings take over. It can be the fear of having an anxiety or panic attack in front of others. And it can be the frightening fear that you are losing control over your own sense of sanity.

Anxiety can make you feel like you are no longer in charge of your own thoughts and feelings. Your mind races and won’t switch off. You feel physically hot, tense and on edge. You struggle to think clearly and get on with things. Back when I had anxiety I remember feeling like I was two different people – the ‘real’ me when I felt calm and comfortable, and the anxious me when the unwanted thoughts and feelings took over and felt uncontrollable.

People often describe fears such as:

– “What if I panic?”
– “What if I can’t cope?”
– “What if I lose control of myself?”
– “What if I embarrass myself?”
– “What if I’m going crazy?”
– “What if I can’t calm down?”

These thoughts can feel extremely intense and convincing, especially during periods of high anxiety or panic attacks.

The more anxious you are, the more catastrophic the scenarios that race through your mind. You may struggle with the uncertainty about when, and how badly, your anxiety will next strike.

In my work as an anxiety therapist in Ely, fears around losing control are incredibly common, even though many people feel deeply alone or frightened by these thoughts when they first experience them.

The important thing to understand is that these fears are a very well-known part of anxiety that many people experience. And, with the right support, you can start to feel more calm and in control again.

 

Why Anxiety Creates a Fear of Losing Control

Anxiety is designed to make us focus on potential threat and danger.

When the nervous system becomes highly alert, the mind naturally starts scanning for threats, problems and ‘what if’ scenarios. However, the instincts hard wired into us for dealing with external threats, mainly now apply to threats within your own thinking, focus, perception and imagination.

For some people, this becomes focused on:

– panic attacks
– physical symptoms
– intrusive thoughts
– fear of embarrassment or being judged
– fear of emotional overwhelm
– fear of “snapping” or breaking down
– fear of going crazy

Your anxiety drives your imagination to try and identify the threat. Your imagination then vividly creates all sorts of fearful future possibilities. The thought of these things happening scares you even more and that ongoing anxiety drives your mind to race to other potential catastrophes waiting to happen.

For example, someone with a fear of flying may imagine the plane crashing out of the sky, or the embarrassment of having a panic attack on the plane. Someone with driving anxiety may imagine swerving into oncoming traffic or having a panic attack and losing control.

The more frightened someone becomes by these thoughts and sensations, the more attention the brain gives them – which can make the fear feel even more real and overwhelming. You get caught in the ongoing cycle of anxiety.

 

Panic Attacks Intensify These Fears

Many people first experience anxiety about a fear of losing control during panic attacks.

Because panic attacks create such powerful physical sensations, people often fear

– they may collapse
– lose control publicly
– faint
– stop breathing
– become trapped
– completely panic

In reality, panic attacks are caused by the body’s fight-or-flight response, not by someone actually losing control. However, they are so overwhelming that you don’t feel in control over your mind and body. The physical sensations take over and you are unable to think clearly. Your only thought is to get away to somewhere you feel more safe. After a panic attack, you start to worry about if and when it may happen again.

Although panic attacks can feel frightening and overwhelming, they are not medically dangerous.

You can learn more about panic attacks here: Panic Attacks Hypnotherapy in Ely

 

Anxiety and Catastrophic ‘What If?’ Thinking

One of the difficult things about anxiety is that the mind starts treating imagined fears as if they are real dangers happening right now.

Your anxious emotions respond to your imagination and you can feel anxious just thinking about these things. Your racing thoughts and anxious feelings increase and you start to avoid certain things as this brings some short term relief.

This can create endless cycles of:

• overthinking
• reassurance seeking
• checking thoughts and feelings
• analysing reactions
• self doubt and worry about being able to cope
• trying to feel ‘certain’ everything will be OK

Ironically, the harder you try to force certainty or control anxious thoughts, the more anxious and mentally exhausted you often become.

Anxiety thrives upon the fact that the future can never be certain (because it hasn’t happened yet). It leads you deeper and deeper into worst cases and catastrophes. The more time and focus you give to anxious thoughts and feelings, the worse they become. It can start to feel like you are no longer in control over your own thoughts and your own body.

 

Physical Sensations Can Increase the Fear

Many people experiencing anxiety also notice physical anxiety symptoms, such as a racing heart, dizziness or difficulty relaxing.

When these sensations appear suddenly, it can feel as though something serious is happening. You may even seek medical attention.

In reality, these symptoms are simply the body responding to stress. You are designed to experience these things, they are just happening when you aren’t actually in physical danger.

 

When Anxiety Begins Affecting Everyday Life

If anxiety regularly creates fears about losing control, it may start affecting everyday life.

People sometimes begin to:

• avoid certain places or situations
• feel constantly on edge
• worry about when anxiety might appear
• stop doing usual things ‘just in case’

Many people experiencing anxiety become frightened by the intensity of their thoughts and feelings, but frightening thoughts are not dangerous thoughts.

If anxiety seems to be becoming more frequent, it may help to recognise some of the signs your anxiety is getting worse.

You may also find it helpful to understand when you should seek help for anxiety if it begins affecting sleep, confidence or daily life.

 

Fear Does Not Mean Danger

One of the most important things people gradually realise is that feeling frightened does not mean they are actually unsafe or losing control.

Anxiety can create:

– intense physical sensations
– intrusive thoughts
– emotional overwhelm
– feelings of unreality or disconnection
– racing thoughts

But these experiences are all part of the nervous system’s stress response. They are designed to happen to help you deal with threats and danger. It’s just that, in the modern world, the threats are in our own perception and thinking rather than some wild creature that wants to eat us. It’s like an alarm that fires off even when it isn’t actually needed.

Anxious thoughts and feelings are not signs that you are  ‘going crazy’ or ‘losing your mind.’

 

Things Can Become More Manageable Again

When anxiety has been present for a long time, it can begin to feel as though the fear will always be there.

But anxiety patterns can change. Regardless of how long it has been happening, or how ‘hard-wired’ it feels, the pattern from now onwards can be positively influenced.

As people begin understanding how anxiety works and the nervous system becomes calmer and more regulated, they notice improvements in:

– confidence
– emotional resilience
– panic symptoms
– overthinking
– fear of situations
– ability to feel calmer and more in control again

Often, one of the biggest turning points is realising that the fear itself has become part of the anxiety cycle. When you no longer fear the fear, everything starts to become more manageable.

 

Real Client Experiences

Many people find reassurance in hearing from others who have experienced similar fears and anxiety patterns.

There are now nearly 500 reviews on my website, including detailed case studies and video reviews from people who came for help with:

– anxiety
– panic attacks
– stress and worry
– fears and phobias
– confidence issues

You can read more real client experiences here: Hypnotherapy reviews in Ely

You can also watch real client video experiences here: Hypnotherapy video reviews in Ely

 

Understanding Anxiety

If you’d like a wider explanation of how anxiety affects thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, you may also find the Anxiety Support Hub helpful: Understanding anxiety in Ely

Many people are surprised by how connected anxiety, panic symptoms, overthinking and fear responses can become.

And, as the reviews above show, the same people are thrilled when they learn how to feel more calm, confident and in control again.

 

Fear of Losing Control and Anxiety

Fear of losing control can feel extremely frightening and convincing when anxiety is high. Those thoughts and physical sensations can feel overwhelming and frightening.

But these fears are far more common than many people realise – and they are a recognised part of anxiety and panic patterns.

And while anxiety can sometimes feel overwhelming, support is available and things can gradually become calmer, clearer and more manageable again. You can change the patterns of your thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions (and learn how to keep things that way).

If you’d like to find out more, you can do so here: Anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely

Or, if you’d prefer to talk things through first: Book a free initial consultation

There’s no pressure, just a chance to understand what might help.

To your health and happiness,

Dan Regan

Anxiety Therapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist in Ely and Newmarket

 

Could you use some help with your anxiety? Struggling with anxiety, stress, worry and fear and need some help? Find out how I can help with a Free Initial Consultation. Learn more here: Appointments

Find out what many hundreds of other people have said after their anxiety hypnotherapy sessions with Dan: Hypnotherapy Testimonials

And check out these popular and powerful hypnosis downloads that can start helping you right away with anxiety, confidence and more: Hypnosis Downloads